


Nightmare

by orphan_account



Series: Nightmares [1]
Category: jacksepticeye
Genre: Attempted Suicide, Cussing, Depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-14 16:56:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14773521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Remember that reoccurring nightmares are never what they seem to be. Are they ever dreams at all?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the intro to the Nightmares series. "Should Have Known" is the second story and the first chapter should be out soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!! The end of this chapter does include a suicide attempt. If this bothers you please be careful if you decide to read on.

Chase shot up in bed and looks around his room in terror. Nothing, everything seemed normal, but he had to check. Throwing off the bed covers, he races down the hallway to a room. He throws open the door and tip-toes into the room. He decides to check the cradle first. There she is, sleeping peacefully. Just like she should be. Chase felt a small bit of relief seeing her, he turns and looks over at the other bed. He's there as well, though he seemed to have been awaken by his father's movements.

"Daddy?" The sleepy boy asks quietly as he sits up.

Chase sits on his bed, "Hey, Grey. Did I wake you up?" The boy nods and he gives his son a small smile, "Sorry about that. Go back to sleep, okay?" The boy nods again and lays back down. Chase stands up and looks around the room. Nothing out of the ordinary, it was _just_ a dream. He exits the room quietly and shuts the door behind him. For a moment, he contemplates going back to sleep, then decides against it. He was wide awake now, there was no way he was going to be able to fall asleep. He turns to the staircase to go downstairs.

"Is everything okay?" He turns to see Stacy standing in the doorway of their bedroom. She looked worried.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just had a really bad nightmare." He smiles softly.

"Again?" She asks, taking a few steps towards him, "You know you can talk to me about this, right?"

Chase sighs, "I know. It's really not that big of a deal. I'm probably just too stressed." He chuckles.

She shakes her head, "Just know I'm here if you want to talk."

"Okay, thanks babe." He pulls her into a hug. She leans into him and wraps her arms around his waist. They stay like that for a moment before Chase kisses the top of her head and pulls away. "You should go back to sleep. You have your interview tomorrow."

She looks at him, still concerned, but nods and kisses his cheek, "Goodnight."

"'Night." He watches as she renters their room and shuts the door behind her. She was too worried about him. He was just fine. Reoccurring nightmares weren't that big of a deal, he got them all the time as a kid. Except, that this seemed off. It was _too_ realistic; he could remember every small detail from it. He knew the exact way the small flame in his hand flickered; he knew how long it had taken for him to climb the stairs; he could pick out the _exact_ green of that man's eye. Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he descends the stairs. Maybe a drink or two would help.

The light from the fridge burns his eyes as he pulls the bottle of whisky out. Slowly, he pours himself a small glass and shuts the bottle back in the fridge. The liquid burns the back of his throat. He leans back on the counter and closes his eyes. It was _just_ a dream. It was just a _dream_.

 

* * *

 

 _THUD._ Chase springs up, his hand flying to the table next to him looking for his Nerf gun. His eyes scan the dark room. Nothing was out of place. So what could have made the sound? He reaches for the lamp and twists the knob. It stays dark. He twists it again. Still nothing. He stands up and tries the switch for the ceiling light, which stays off as well. Must be a power outage. Chase frowns and feels his pockets for something to use. In his back pocket, he finds a small lighter that he used for a video. He flicks it and relief crashes over him as the small flame flickers to life.

He spins around, hearing soft whispers all around him. "Wh-who's there?" There's no response, the unintelligible whispers just continue. Suddenly, he hears a cry from upstairs. He sprints to the stairs, worried that it's one of his kids, but he can feel a presence at the top of the stairs. Something that shouldn't be there. He  climbs the stairs slowly in fear. 

When he gets to the top of the staircase, the screaming stops. Chase looks down the hall, looking for something out of place. The door at the end of the hallway is open, which it shouldn't be. Chase takes another step forward and a red light spills out of the room. He raises one hand to shield his eyes from the sudden light. In the doorway, a black figure is silhouetted against the red light. He starts to feel hazy, like he's drunk. "Who are you?" He yells. The figure doesn't answer, just turns it's head and it's right eye glows brightly with a green light.

Chase stumbles backward. That was the kids' room, were they okay? Did this figure do something to them? "Where are they?" He screams at the figure, no response.  "What do you want from me?"

The figure doesn't answer, just turns around completely and starts moving towards him. Except it's not walking. It glitches towards him as his vision fades in and out. In and out. In... and out... In..........

And out.

 

 

Chase rips off the covers of his bed and races into the hallway. He skids to a stop as realizes whats happening and sighs. He rests his head against the wall, taking deep breaths. "It's just a dream." He whispers, "Just a dream." 

"Daddy?" He looks up to see Greyson standing in the middle of the hallway. The seven year old slowly approaches his father.

"Hey, Grey. What are you doing up?" Chase smiles down at his son.

Grey sniffs, "I had another nightmare."

Chase's heart stops for a moment, "You and me both, bud." He ruffles the kid'd hair, "Are you going to see Mom?" Grey nods. "Alright, I think she's asleep, so don't wake her."

"Too late." Stacy's voice breaks into their conversation. "Get into the bed, Grey. I'll be there in a moment." The boy nods and scurries off into the room. Stacy shuts the door behind him and looks up at Chase. Her face was unreadable. "Another nightmare, huh?"

"Yeah." He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. 

She sighs, "God, Chase. You need to see someone about this. It's been going on for over a month." She huffs, "Maybe if you weren't so focused on that stupid YouTube channel of yours, you would actually care about figuring out why you keep having this nightmare and how to stop it."

He glares at her, "I though I could get over it myself since-"

"Well obviously you can't." She snaps, "You're worrying me. You're worrying Greyson. Have you seen the way he looks at you now. It's like he doesn't know you. Even Sam can tell somethings not right, and she's not even one!"

"Well of course something's not right!" He retorts, "I haven't slept more than three hours a night in over a month."

"You need help." She shakes her head, "I'm taking the kids and going to Macy's for the a while. Maybe if you decide to help yourself we'll come back."

"You... you're leaving me?" Chase's voice breaks, "How could you do this to me?"

"Do you think I want to? Do you think this any easier for me? To see my husband, my life, falling apart? Sam and Grey are my priorities right now. If they're yours as well, you'll do something about these damn nightmares." Stacy spins around, goes into the bedroom, and slams the door behind her.

Chase stares at the door in shock. He buries his face in his hands. How could this be happening? How could she be doing this? _You're pathetic. Why would she want to be with someone as stupid as you are?_

 

* * *

 

"Alright. I think we're ready to go." Chad gives him the thumbs up from behind the camera.

He nods, "Alright. Give me the countdown."

Chad holds up his fingers, "In three, two, one: Action!"

Chase takes a breath, and puts on a smile, "Yo! What's up, guys? I'm Chase, and welcome to Bro Average." He holds up his Nerf gun and shoots it off camera, where it knocks the bag of Lyons off the table. He flinches as the box tumbles to the floor. Chad laughs.

The two film a few trick shots, most of which include throwing Lyons tea bags into boxes. Most go smoothly, but a few are harder to do than he imagined.

About halfway through filming, Chase's phone buzzes. He groans when he sees who it is and excuses himself to the bathroom. "Hey, Trey."

"Sah, dude. I've got the most amazing idea for a shot!" The voice on the other end sounds very enthusiastic, which sadly isn't out of character for Trey.

Chase sighs, "Look, can this wait? Chad and I are in the middle of filming-"

"No! It absolutely cannot wait! This is the best idea I've ever had." Trey butts in.

"Fine. What is it?" He gives in, knowing what ever stunt he wants to pull now is going to be incredibly dangerous. Just like every other stunt he wanted to pull.

"Okay so, hear me out. It involves you jumping a motorcycle at _top speed_ through a flaming ring of death!" Chase puts a hand to his forehead trying to remember why he let him join the team.

"Trey, no. Absolutely not." He states.

"But... it's epic!" Trey whines.

Chase takes a deep breath. He had to reason with him, "Dude, I just can't do the shot. It's impossible, there is absolutely no way that anybody, like-" He hears steps behind him and spins around to see Chad filming him. "What the fuck? Dude, get out!" He shoves Chad out of the bathroom and shuts the door. He puts the phone back up to his ear, "Sorry, but were not doing that." He hangs up before Trey can protest. Shoving the phone back in his pocket, he turns on the sink and splashes some water on his face.

He wasn't sure why he got so mad during their talk, but he didn't want to blow up at Chad. He stays in the bathroom, trying to calm down. After a minute, he returns to the office room. Chad is sitting at a table reviewing footage. His head shoots up when he sees Chase, "Hey man, I'm sorry I didn't-" 

"It's fine, Chad. It was just Trey wanting to do another stupid shot that isn't even a shot." He laughs, "Let's just finish filming this thing."

It takes them about another hour to finish shooting the rest of the footage. Chad looks at his watch around 4:30 and realizes that he has to meet his sister for dinner in an hour and leaves Chase by himself to pack up. Chase sits down at the table and leans back in the chair. Finally some peace and- nope his phone was ringing again. He sighs seeing the caller ID and answers hesitantly, "Hey, Stacy."

"Hello, Chase. What was it you called about earlier?" Her voice is stern, nothing like the woman he used to know. It was his fault that she changed though.

"I wanted to know if I could see the kids this weekend." He bites his lip, hoping for the best.

"Have you gotten help yet?" She snaps back.

He sighs, knowing that's what she was going to ask. "No, baby, no..." 

"Why do you think you should see them then? Remember our agreement? You agreed."

"No, I know. Yeah. I'm trying okay. I'm working. I'm trying to get all the shots. Just, look.. don't take the kids." He knew he wasn't going to be able to persuade her, but he was going to try anyway.

"I'll take the kids if I want to, Chase. They're safer without you."

"Please, Stacy, babe."

"No. Macy says-" 

He cuts her off, "Well I don't care what your sister says. Just please let me see them on the weekend still."

She sighs, "No, Chase."

He puts his head in his free hand, rubbing his forehead. "Can I at lease talk to Greyson?" 

"Fine." It takes a moment for him to get the phone, but Grey's soft voice was music to Chase's ears. "Hello?"

"He-hey, sweetie." He stammers. It had been so long since he'd heard his son's voice.

"Daddy? Is that you?" Grey asks.

"Yeah. Daddy loves you-" Suddenly, the phone hung up. Chase looks at his phone in confusion. Did Grey hang up? Or was that Stacy?  _Of course he hung up on you, you were nothing but a horrible father to him._ He looks down to the side and lets out a sob. _Don't be so pathetic._ _You should just go k̡͈̦̼͓̆ͪ̃̄i̯͓͔̩̠̩̋͛ĺ̤̩̘͟lͭ́ͣͯ̂ͣ yourself. It would make everyone happier._

Chase bites his lip and looks across the table at his Nerf gun. He crosses the room and gingerly picks it up. A few weeks ago, he'd disguised a pistol as a Nerf gun so if someone broke into his house he'd catch the intruder off guard. He switched off the safety and looks across the room at the camera. A small red light at the top indicated that it was still recording. He turns to the camera and puts on his false smile.

"This one's called: Stacy, I love you. Please don't go." He hesitates for a moment.  _Do it. You know you want to. Do it. Do it. Do it. Ḑ̟̦̱̜ͫͥ̄O̟̼͖͑ͯͮ͂̚͟ͅ I̺̳͚͚̪̰̲ͫ͂̽͐ͮ̔̂T͎̜̠̯͇́̿ ͫͤNͣ̆ͣ͊́̐͏̘̺̰̗̗Ọ̴̳̬̣̼ͣ̃̈́͊̓̄W͇͈͇̓́̀̔!͇̯̻̺̟͐_

He holds the gun up to his head and fires.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing: Marvin and Schneep! I tried to write Henrik's dialogue in a sort of German accent (as best as you can while writing). If it's annoying or hard to read let me know in the comments and I'll change it.

The dark hallway stretched in front of Chase. The same hallway from all the dreams before. Was this a dream? Is this what death feels like? He reaches into his back pocket for the lighter he knows will be there, but it's not. All of his pockets are empty. He feels panic welling up in his chest and wills himself to stay calm. The door at the end of the hallway is open, like it always is. He takes a step forward, knowing what happens next. 

Light spills out of the doorway, washing everything in blood red. THe dark silhouette stands in the light, like it always does. He starts to feel hazy. It was almost like someone had implanted static in his brain. "Who are you?" Chase yells. He doesn't expect a verbal response and he doesn't get one. The figure just turns its head and flashes it's green eye. Chase stumbles backwards. He had to know where the kids were. "Where are they?" No answer. He feels dizzy, "What do you want from me?"

The figure slowly turns around to face him. It glitches towards him. It was demonic in all senses of the word. Chase could feel himself falling backward. He tried to reach out a hand to catch himself, but found he couldn't move. Then, the creature was on top of him. A maniacal grin on its face. And Chase saw who it was. 

It was _him_. _He_ was the figure.  _He_ was the one endangering the kids. A high pitched laugh echos through the room. "Y̠̝̺̓ͣ͂̀ͨ́ǫ͚̤̞͙̣͍̈́̃͗͛ͪͅu̹͚̼̚ͅ ̷͍ͤ̊̒ͥͩ̚ṣ̻͍͎̒ͣ̏̔ͮ͆h̢͔͈̤̠͋̃́̐̆̉ö͍̗̼́̀̀͂u̬̝̯͟lͣ̃̉ͩ̌͘d͌ͫͪ̉̾͏̯ ̪̬̮͉̩̙̃ḥ͍ͦ͢a͕̰̬̋v̷e̡̩̜̮̬ͥ̔ ĉ̃l̜̠̼̹̈́̑͂͒o͛s͈̬̹̝̤̯̠̍ę̟̐dͮͮ̇̒͏̗̱ ͍̩̪̥̠̌̑͗ͤ̾͐t̲̰̥̖̃ͬ̃h̟̩̼̮̥̄͆͋ͣ̅̕ͅė̼͔ͮ ̵̝̤̯̳̜͆͌̌ͮͦͩd̤̻ͦ͜o̲͕̤̝͈̱͕̊̇̏͌̉̉̈́o̧̒̓ṙ̴̥̭͕͉̤̣̘ͥ̏̈̏.̴̼͔̳͙̩̟ͫ͗̍̅͛̒"

 

 

 

 

_Beep... Beep... Beep..._ A slow, droning beeping noise fills Chase's ears. He groans, is it time to get up already? He blinks his eyes open and is greeted with an unfamiliar sight. The ceiling above him was made of tile, instead of the plaster ceiling at home. Bright white florescent lights shine down onto him, making him squint. 

"Oh! You're awake?" A voice rings out. Where was he? Who was that? Chase tries to push himself to a sitting position to see better, but as he does, pain shoots through the left side of his head. 

"Gah!" He brings hand up to feel the spot and finds that there are bandages wrapped around his head. "Wha- oh." His eyes widen as remembers what he did.

The owner of the voice leans down and raises the back of the bed. "Is that better?" Chase hardly hears her, too wrapped up in his thoughts.  _Why did you survive that? That's not what was supposed to happen._ _Why did you survive?_

He looks up at who he assumes is the doctor or nurse, "H-how did you find me?"

She looks at him, a pitiful smile on her face. He hated when people looked at him like that. "I'm not certain what happened, but I think you're brother found you and called an ambulance."

Chase thinks for a moment, "Brother?"

"That's what he said you were, yes. He's probably still in the waiting room, do you want me to go get him?" She asks. 

"I-..." he pauses. He didn't know this person, he was certain that he didn't have a brother, and yet they had basically saved his life. "Yes, please."

She nods, "I'll be back in a moment. I'm Nurse Valy, by the way." The nurse gracefully exits the room leaving Chase alone.

He closes his eyes and leans back against the bed. Instantly, he's taken back to the red corridor. The giggling surrounds him. His eyes snap open, darting around the room.  There was no one there, no one could hurt him here. Especially not that weirdo in his dream. 

A moment later, he hears voices outside the door and a man with long green hair steps into the room. He looks strangely familiar. He sets a cup of water down on the side table and pulls a chair next to the bed. He smiles at Chase. "Hey."

Chase tentatively grabs the cup and slowly downs the water. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was. He clears his throat, "Hello? Who... are you?"

The man chucked, "The name's Marvin. I'm the one that found you."

"The nurse said my brother found me. I don't have a brother, and I if I do you aren't him." He was curious about this Marvin and wanted- no -needed to know more.

"You're half right, but don't worry. All of your questions will be answered soon." Marvin winks at him and stands up. 

"Wait, are you leaving already?" Chase asks, it was nice to have some company that weren't people always trying to do trick shots and stunts.

He shakes his head, "I'm just going to get your doctor. I'll be back in a minute." Chase nods, and he slips out the door with a small wave of farewell.  _He left you, just like they all do._ He bites his lip, trying to keep his thoughts at bay.  _You know he's not coming back. Why would he?_  

"Stop... please..." He begs to himself but the thoughts don't fade. 

A few minutes of agony pass, before the door slowly creaks open. A head of green hair pokes in and looks at Chase, "Mr. Brody?" The man seemed to have an accent, but he couldn't tell what it was. He smiles and gives the man a little wave. The man steps in and smiles at him. There was something oddly familiar about him. "I'm Doctor Henrik von Schneeplestien. I'm zee one who operated on you." 

Chase swallows hard, "Why?"

The doctor blinks, "I'm afraid I don't follow."

"Why did you save me? It's not like I'm worth anything to anyone." He crosses his arms over his chest.

"Of course you mean somesing. Every life is vorth saving, Chase. Even if you don't think zat you are vorth saving." Henrik sits in the chair next to the bed.

_He's lying._ Chase stares at him blankly and shakes his head, "You're wrong. I'm not worth anything to anyone. Not anymore."

Henrik sighs, but doesn't argue with him. The door opens again and Marvin reenters. "Hey, doc."

"Hello, Marvin." The doctor greets the other.

Chase looks at Marvin, then at Henrik, then back at Marvin. "Wait, hang on. Are you two related?"

The two look at each other and Marvin chuckles slightly, "I guess you could say that."

"What do you mean?" Chase raised an eyebrow at the two. 

"Don't vorry about it. Right now, you're only concern is healing." Dr. Schneeplestien stands up and checks the IV bags. "Now, sleep. You need zee rest."

He stiffens at the thought. That was the last thing he wanted to do right now. Sleep would send him back to that corridor where his children were crying out for him. Sleep would send him to the place where he was absolutely helpless. Chase shakes his head, "Is there any other way I could get rest, like, without having to sleep?" The heart monitor next to him speeds up in time with his heartbeat.

Schneeplestien looks at him, "You do not vant to sleep?" The father shakes his head, "Vhy?" 

"I... I don't want to talk about it?" He looks away, trying to hide his face.

"Chase, what happens when you go to sleep?" Marvin asks softly. His words were kind and they broke down any walls Chase had up. He looks up at the man, the fear that gripped his chest fading. He looked into his crystal eyes and instantly felt calm. His shoulders relaxed and his heartbeat slowed.

He takes a breath and lowers his head, "Every night. I find myself in a dark room. I think it's my living room, but it's too dark to be sure. The only light source I have with me is a small lighter and I flick that on. Immediately after, I can hear screams coming from upstairs. They're my children's' screams. So I climb the stairs.

"At the top of the staircase is a hallway, and at the end is the door to my children's room: open. I take a step towards the door and a red light spills out into the hallway. In the doorway, there is a dark figure. It glitches like a broken piece of hardware. I ask it who it is. I get no response, only a head turn and it's right eye flashing with a green light. Here, I start to feel woozy, like I'm drunk. I ask it where they are- the kids- and what it wants from me. It turns and starts moving towards me. It walks, but its limbs flail about. Each night, it gets closer.

"Before I woke up here, I found myself in the hallway. I had no lighter and the red light came almost immediately. The same events happened, but it finally got to me and I saw who the the figure is. It was me, but it wasn't me. It looks exactly like me, but it's neck is cut and it's voice is distorted. The only thing it said was: 'You should have closed the door.'" He raises his head to look at the others. Henrik was trying to keep his face neutral, but there was fear evident in his eyes. Marvin, on the other hand, looked like a nervous wreck. He was chewing on his bottom lip and there were... sparks coming out of his hands?

Marvin noticed the sparks a moment after Chase did. "Oh shit, oh fuck." He scrambles around his pockets looking for something. He pulls out a pair of black gloves from his back pocket and quickly slips them on.

"Chase," The doctor's voice snapped him away from Marvin's dilemma. "How long has zis been going on?"

He thinks for a moment, "What's today's date?"

"April 17." 

He shrugs, "About a month, I guess."

"A month! Did you try to get help for these dreams?" Marvin asks.

The familiar question sends a pit to Chase's stomach, "I though they were just nightmares, something I could handle on my own."

"Vell, obviously you couldn't." Dr. Schneeplestien counters. "I don't sink these are normal nightmares anyvey." 

Chase didn't know how to respond, "I- What does this mean anyway? You two look terrified."

Dr. Schneeplestien sighs and looks at Marvin, who gives him a small nod. "Vee veren't going to tell you just yet, but I sink vee must."

The doctor's ominous statement sends a strange feeling through Chase. "Tell me what?" 

Henrik looks back at Chase and meets his eyes, "What we really are."


	3. Chapter 3

Marvin looks at Dr. Schneeplestien worriedly, "Actually wait, are you sure about this? He's only just woken up."

The doctor meets his gaze with an expression just as intense, "He needs to know. If zat really eez who vee are sink it is, zen he has to know." The long haired man takes a step back and raises his hands in defeat. The doctor clears his throat, "Vee are not quite human. We look, sound, act, and breathe in zee vay zat humans do, but vee vere not created in zee same way. Even though vee have memories of our childhoods and parents, zey do not actually exist." 

"Wait, how is that possible?" Chase asks, "I have memories of my entire life and you're saying that it never actually happened? What about my kids, are they real?"

"I vould believe so. My vife and kids are real, so I expect that yours should be too. I'm not sure vhy somesings become real and others don't." He explains.

Chase nods, feeling slightly relieved that Sam and Greyson weren't just figments of his imagination. "So what are we exactly?"

"We're called alter egos, or just egos for short. We're the creations of a YouTuber named Jack McLoughlin or Jacksepticeye as he's known online." Marvin pulls a hair-tie out of his pocket and pulls his hair back into a ponytail, "He created you, me, Henrik, and another boy named Jackie."

"It vas either him or his fans." Henrik adds. "Or zey both had imput, vee don't know."

Chase felt overwhelmed. This was a lot to take in, "So let me get this straight. We exist, but not really, our pasts never happened, and we've only actually lived a small portion of our lives?"

"I mean, we do _technically_ exist, but other than that yeah." Marvin shrugs.

"And why should I believe you? This is all insane." He laughs nervously.

Henrik sighs, "Vhy do you sink vee all look the same, Chase?" It was a simple statement, but it sent Chase's world crashing down. Of course they both looked familiar, they looked exactly like him.

But somehow he knew they were telling the truth. It just all seemed so impossible that he didn't want to believe it, "How does this relate to my dreams though?" The father sighs.

Marvin and Henrik exchange looks. After a long moment of silence, Henrik speaks, "Jack's fans created an evil version of him for fun, and last October he decided zat it vould be a good idea to bring zat character to life. His plans for _him_ went horribly wrong and Jack ended up becoming a puppet for _him_. He slit Jack's throat and took over his body. Luckily, vee got Jack to my ER in time and I vas able to save him." Henrik's face fills with guilt, "I never should have even tried." Marvin puts a hand on his shoulder, "Vee thought zat vee had him back, but last month, at his panel at Pax East,  _he_ showed his face again.

"Jack claims zat he had no idea about it, but vee are all suspicious." The doctor suddenly looked angry, "I don't know how _he_ got to you already, but I don't sink zey are dreams at all."

There's a moment of silence as Chase takes in all that he's learned. "What's his name?"

"Antisepticeye, the opposite of Jack. He's a glitchy demon who doesn't obey the laws of reality." Marvin crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the wall.

"What does he want?" Chase asks.

Marvin shrugs, "People to notice him? I don't know, but if that's what he wants he- ah shit not again." He raises his hands. Chase stares in horror at what he's seeing. Both of Marvin's hands were slightly translucent. 

Chase bites back his urge to scream. "Wh-what the hell?" Marvin doesn't seem to hear Chase, which is understandable considering the fact that he was fading right in front of their eyes.

"I should go. I'll see you 'round." Marvin waves, then disappears in a poof of smoke.

"What. The. Fuck?" Chase leans back in his bed trying to process what just happened. First, he'd learned that his memories had never really happened. Second, he learned that an evil version of the person who supposedly is responsible for his creation is stalking his dreams. Third, he saw a man start to fad before his eyes. And fourth, he saw that same man disappear like a wizard.

Henrik shakes his head, "I vish he vouldn't do zat." He turns to Chase, "I'm sure you have questions, but I'm afraid zay vill have to vait. I do have other patients to attend to." Chase nods, still deep in thought. The doctor moves to a small cabinet next to the bed and pull out a bottle of pills. He places a few on the small table next to him. Twirling around to the sink, he fills a small cup with water and puts the cup on the table. "Here. Take these ven you are ready to go to sleep. I can't assure you they'll get rid of the dreams, but it is zee best I can do."

Chase takes takes them off the table and quickly downs both. Satisfied, the doctor starts to exit, "Hey, uh, Doc..." Henrik turns around, "Thanks."

"You're velcome, Chase, and please, call me Henrik." Henrik grins softly and closes the door behind him. He reaches out, feeling for the control panel and lowers the bed so he lay down. It takes a few minutes for the medicine to kick in and for Chase to start feeling drowsy. It's not long before he's drifting off into sleep. 

 

 

A hallway stretches in front of Chase, long and dark. There are no doors, only a door shaped hole at the end. He takes a step forward, but the hole only seemed to get farther away. Another step and it gets longer. He quickens his pace until he's running. The hole never seems to get any closer, but it's not getting farther away either. Suddenly, a scream pierces the air. Chase wills himself to run faster towards the doorway. His lungs hurt, but he had to reach the end. More cries ring through the air. They sound familiar, like an old friend, and yet so foreign. Our of nowhere, pain shoots through the side of his head and he crumples to the ground. His hands flying up to his head. The agony burns through his skull like a knife. He pulls his hands away to see them stained with blood. A high pitched giggle echos through the hall. 

"Y͖ͨͤ̓̾ͦo̰̻̤̪̟̙̒ư̠̤͈̱ͣͬ̐͗̒̇ͣ'̵͉̮͓̉ŗ̬̦̪̹͚̺̩͛ë̫͙͉͛̄̃̐ ͎̠̥̺̺̽̏ͬ̈̍w͙̰̼̚ͅo̼̬ͨ̓̍̽ͭ̿ͫr̙̻̭t̂ͧͩ͑ͬ̎҉̖̭̦̩̞͈h͆͂͌͋̋l̖̼̉ͭe̱̲̫̤͉̿̇̑̒͗͆̌s̗̯̬̝ͅŝ̹̣̝̞͕ͫͯ̓ͭͣͅ.̘͒ Y̹̳̪̓̚͠o̤̩̹̟͈͇͛̀̊ͭͨͅu̼̼ͩ̈́̋ ͍̩̤̗̬͈͜c̭͈͚͛̇͋ͮ̌̽ạ̸͓̺̥͖͑́̊͆ͥ̚n̴̠͖̰̠̈̓̽'̡̼̳̺̣̣̖ͫ̐̉ͥͬ͆t̵͍͇͖͇͈̙ ̧̝̻͙͌̆ͦ̓̂͌ḩͬͫe̶͓̓l̼̅̃͛͒ͥ͋ͪp̗̙̱̗͍̘͉̓̊͝ ̱̩͎ͫ͒ā͎̬͉̹̳͚͙ͤn̸͈̫̝̱y̯͍̣͚̥̭ͬͥͩ̄͗̎b̬̠̩̭̺̞ͨ̔o̮͉̞͖̽ͪ̀d̮̠̩̎ͫͥ̓ͅỷ̗͍̺̹̓̈́.̩̯̣͖̓̇̊̓."The voice came from everywhere and nowhere. From inside and outside his head. More laughter, but this time it sounds from right above his head. A fuzzy feeling overtakes his brain and his head spins as he tries to look up. He raises his head slightly to see a recognizable face grinning manically down at him. It glitches in and out of reality, jumping from in front of him, to behind, to even on the ceiling. The father squeezes his eyes shut, trying to regain his balance. The laughter continues, prickly bullets shooting into his his skull. "W͐̿̑̋͏̹͈̬h͓ͧ̊y͖͂ͮ̋͗ͬ͢ ̱̭̺̖̾͑̒ͣ͘do͔̫̲̲̲̊ͩͬ̒̋ ̠͔ͥy̭̥̩͔͐ͪ̿̊ō̬̠͈̰̄̇ͦ̓̏̚͝u̓͋̉̆ͬ ̭̺̲̩̼͆̿̍͊͊͋̈́e̗̖̠̞̬̹͗ͧ̓͗̅̊ͪͅv̙̳̼̜̘̭ͦ̀̄͑ͤͯē̴̗͔̩͉̱̬̯ͯn͙͍̖̝̓ͤ͌̈ ̫͖̯̟̑̓͆̈́̎b̌̉̓o͎̝̣̣̩ͧ͂̈́ẗ̲̙͙͓́̆̍ͦ͐̕h̴͐̏̏e̫̪̭̗͇r͎̘͉̎̑ͤ̔ ̡̹̫̖̱̦͇͐̌aͩ̍͑͐͆n̶̘̍̅ͩ͒̎y̢̗̗͓̽̍͒m̙̞̲͎̱͂͞o͈̥͖̘̹͛ͤͪ̃̆r̼̿ͥ̉͒e̸͚͗̀̃̋?̨̜͔̪̪̘" He doesn't remember when he clasped his hands over his ears, or when he starts begging for him to shut up. But it's no use, nothing helps. The demon's words pierce his ears. A mantra of devious words. It seemed like it would go on forever.

But eventually they fade. Slowly, at the pace of a snail, but they fade. Chase reopens his eyes to find himself back in the hospital room. A young lady is sitting at the foot of the bed. She's asleep with her head somehow resting a top the foot board. Her face is buried in the sheets, and for one hopeful second Chase wonders if it's Stacy. But her hair is too dark, and to his surprise, he finds peace in that face that it isn't her. He sighs loudly, thankful that the nightmare was finally over. Unfortunately, the noise woke the girl and she slowly lifts her head.

She sleepily blinks her eyes open, "Huh? Oh you're awake already."

"Yeah. Uh, sorry for waking you." He could still feel his heart pounding from the nightmare, but his mind was clearer now. Seems like Henrik's medicine didn't work.

"No, no, no. Don't worry about it." She stretches her arms above her head. "I'm Signe, by the way."

"Chase. Nice to meet you." He replies.

She chuckles, "Would it surprise you if I said I already knew that,"

"Honestly, nothing is surprising me anymore." He shakes his head slightly, "Um, if you don't mind me asking, why are you here?"

"I'm guessing Henrik and Marvin told you everything?" She asks, running a hand through her hair.

"I wouldn't say everything. We kind of got interrupted by Marvin fucking fading out of existence." Chase reaches over to the control panel of the bed and raises himself to a sitting position.

Signe grins slightly, "He does that sometimes. Not that it's his fault, it just kinda happens. But anyway, I'm here because I wanted to meet you."

"Wanted to meet me?" Chase was confused. Since when had anyone wanted to meet him?

"Yeah. Jack is my boyfriend." Her smile falters, "When I saw the video that went up last week, I knew another you'd be coming soon." 

"Wait, video? What video?" He flashes back to filming the most recent trick-shot video, and the incident at the end. A lump rose in his throat.

"I guess they didn't tell you about that, huh?" He shakes his head, "When the others were created, Jackie, Marvin, Henrik, and.... _him,_ Jack made videos of himself as them. The fans then took them as characters, and somehow they became living, breathing people. Jack uploaded yours about a week ago." There was pity in her eyes and Chase knew exactly what she was thinking.

Chase swallows the lump in his throat, "Wh-what happened in that video?" She doesn't respond, just looks down at her hands, "Signe, please. What happened?"

"Exactly what you think. The events leading up to you being..." She gestures around the room, "...here."

He leans his head back into the pillow with a sigh. His eyes shut tight.  _Everyone knows what a failure you are now. Idiot._ Chase feels his heartbeat quicken. He's pretty sure Signe's trying to talk to him, but he can't hear her, or hardly anything else for that matter. All he can hear is the roar of his blood.  _What made you think it was a good idea to film that?  You're already a failure, now everyone knows how unstable you are. You couldn't even keep your own wife with you. Worthless fuck. No one actually cares. They all probably thought it was a joke. Why would anyone care?_

The thoughts are broken when he feels someone grabbing his shoulders. His eyes fly open and he's met with Henrik and Signe's worried faces. "Breathe, Chase. Breathe." The doctor's soothing voice washes over him, "Vatever it is, it's all going to be okay. I promise." He gently circles his thumbs on Chase's back. He wasn't sure when he started crying, but the next thing he knew he was sobbing. Henrik's soft hands rub his back. He tried to focus on their movement. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down.

Slowly, his breathing returns to normal.  _You idiot. How could you let them see you like this?_ He bites his lip, "Sorry..." 

"What are you sorry for?" Signe's voice was soft. She brushes a few strands of hair out of his face.

He brings his knees to his chest, "That you had to see me like this."

Henrik sits on the edge of the bed, "Does zis happen often?" His voice was filled with concern. Chase never knew someone could be that worried about someone. Stacy certainty never cared about him this much, even when things got bad.

Chase shakes his head, "No, not that badly at least." He rests his forehead on his knees.  _Now look, they're worried. You couldn't have panicked after she left?_

"I see..." Henrik takes his glasses off and wipes them on his lab coat. He stands up and gives Chase an apologetic look, "I do not vish to leave you, but I have to be at a meeting in a few minutes vich I must be at or I risk losing my job. Signe, are you going to stay?"

She nods, "I'll be here for a little bit longer." 

"Good." Henrik fixes his glasses, "I vill see you all later, Auf Wiedersehen." He quietly closes the door behind him.


End file.
